On Sat, 18 Sep 2004, Nick Maclaren wrote:

But there are good-flavoured English white wines now. The winemaker's
art has improved enormously.

Hmm. I have heard that at least half a dozen times, been suspicious,
checked up, and found no difference. I last tried half a dozen years
back, at the latest Kent vinyard to be lauded to the skies.

I do think that they talk up English wine and say unrealistic things.
One should simply take it for what it is.

As I
said, I am prepared to try again, but am disinclined to waste money
and effort unless I have reason to believe that there is at least a
50% chance of the wine being drinkable. I don't ask for it to be
good, or value for money - I am not THAT unrealistic!

Well, I do think that English wines are overpriced for what they are.
But then I never buy wine other than at a vineyard, and most of the time
I drink my own wine, so I don't know what the current price is for
foreign wines and can't compare.

So what English wine (preferably at an affordable price) would you
say is NOT thin and either acid or lacking in flavour?

Well, the most recent wines I have bought have been local ones from the
Thames Valley Vineyard at Twyford. They do a very nice dry wine called
"Regatta" (!). They also have a sweet wine which they call "Botrytis"
(you'd think they could be a bit more imaginative, wouldn't you?). It's
not bad - 10.5% alcohol and they produce it only when the conditions are
right.

David

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